Women who regularly turn to a glass of wine to 'wind down' as they juggle career and family were warned last night they are priming a health 'timebomb' for themselves.

Professor Ian Gilmore, one of the UK's leading experts, said they risk developing liver disease or becoming alcohol dependent because they do not understand the detrimental effect that regular drinking has on their bodies.

He said the struggle to cope with a career as well as a family was definitely a factor in the rising consumption of alcohol.

Younger women also used alcohol to increase their self-confidence and standing in the workplace.

A recent survey showed that half of all mothers drank at home at least three or four nights a week.

Professor Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: 'Women in their role as mother or carer use alcohol to cope with exhaustion, anxiety, isolation and with stressful life events.

'Alcohol is a sedative and a relaxant but used on a regular basis can really put people at high risk. Women are storing up a health timebomb by drinking this regularly.

'My fear is that such women are at risk of developing liver disease or becoming alcohol-dependent.'

Recent NHS figures show the number of women admitted to hospital with alcohol-related problems jumped by a staggering 23 per cent in just two years to more than 70,000 in 2008.

Professor Gilmore, who will speak at a meeting of the Young Women's Christian Institute on Wednesday, said women were more susceptible to alcohol-related problems because of their physical and genetic make-up.

He added: 'It only takes five to ten years of being on a heavy drinking treadmill for liver disease to arise.'

The professor, who is also chairman of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, said: 'There is a link between alcohol consumption, the emancipation of women and their bigger role in the workplace. Women feel pressure to compete with their male counterparts, especially in those industries which are dominated by men and are highly paid, such as financial institutions in the City.'

Professor Gilmore said that it was also much more socially acceptable and cheaper for women to drink in Britain today, compared to a generation ago.

Alcohol is now so cheap in supermarkets that it is possible to get drunk for the price of a Mars bar, according to a report by the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative.

Cider is available in big name stores for as little as 9p a unit, it found.

This means that downing two pints of cider, or four units – the daily limit for a woman – would cost just 36p. A Mars bar costs 37p.